Managing a crisis and providing leadership in a crisis are not the same activity. Crisis leadership principally deals with how leaders handle the human response to a crisis, including their own. This book, in discussing crisis leadership, focuses on three questions: (1) Will the leader address the crisis head-on, take action to fix it, and, if…

The implementation of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) began in English primary schools at the start of the autumn term, 1998. The purpose of the strategy is to improve standards in literacy. This is the fourth report on NLS by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). It provides a detailed account of the implementation and impact of…

Proposes a four-step plan for a child care center director to defuse a parent's anger: listen carefully; make sure the problem is well understood; acknowledge the parent's feelings; and explain the plan of action. Suggests that directors should let teachers and parents work together to correct and prevent problems. (AA)

Offers a former faculty member's perspective on his journey from faculty member to college president. It details the various positions held and challenges that were experienced throughout his promotion to college president. Emphasizes the various roles and characteristics that need to be embraced as one becomes a college administrator. (JS)

To discover corporate America's perceptions on effective leadership qualities for the 21st century, questionnaires were sent to chief executive officers of Mobil, McDonnell Douglas, 3M, Pfitzer, and IBM. Respondents said that integrity, self-esteem, and decision-making ability are essential leadership characteristics. Desired affective qualities…

Describes a teachers' professional development seminar presented by Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Reports findings of a survey of 53 faculty participants of the seminar, along with recommendations on improving the seminar's format and content. Includes survey instrument. (NB)

Leaders bring to new jobs their values and vision, the authority of their position, and their reputation and accomplishments. How new superintendents conduct themselves during the critical entry/"honeymoon" phase affects their subsequent working relationships and leadership effectiveness. Structured interviews with staff, parents, and…

What follows is the Portland State University story, a reflection on change as a scholarly act within a learning community using techniques from organizational learning.

Advances in information and communication technology are changing organisations, including those in educational settings. Old practices are being altered, and new practices, spaces and possibilities created. The changes are such that it is timely to consider whether our current leadership conceptions remain useful. In non-educational sectors there…

The 12 components or features outlined within this article create a broad safety net for new principals and relates directly to the model of school leadership described by Thomas Sergiovanni. Sergiovanni speaks about three components of leadership in school leaders: the educational leader's "heart" (emotions), "head" (thoughts), and "hand"…

When co-principalships were initiated in Aotearoa/New Zealand during the 1990s, they encountered a range of issues around this country's new public management requirements for market, managerial and split governance/management accountabilities. This article draws on a case study of one initiative to discuss how elements of these requirements were…

In the fall of 2007, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Philadelphia's School Reform Commission to conduct a Strategic Professional Development Review for the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). ERS is a nonprofit organization that is nationally recognized for its extensive work in partnering with urban school districts to make…

This handbook discusses the components of McREL's Balanced Leadership Framework, which describes the 21 responsibilities of effective leaders that McREL identified in its meta-analysis of research on leadership (published through ASCD as "School Leadership That Works"). The authors also describe the concept of "balanced leadership," noting that…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of administrators' contribution to their teaching and learning by identifying those administrator attributes and behaviors that promote learning. The study incorporated individual studies by 10 doctoral students, in a doctoral research class project. Each researcher…

This book describes outcomes of the Maine Academy for School Leaders (MASL) a professional development program designed to improve student-learning outcomes through improved leadership performance. It evaluates the impact of new leadership behaviors on the 58 participants' schools. One-half of the participants were teachers or other staff who held…